The Sensarium is an intelligent recliner that can interact with its users via various sensors, and adapt its fulldome program to his/her behaviour and biofeedback.

Away Studios were commissioned by the creator, Austrian-based entertainment innovator Attraktion, to build a space-themed interactive game for a Sensarium exhibit at the ITCC (Information Technology Communication Complex) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Visuals were created to be compatible with the Sensarium’s fulldome projection system, of a similar type to that used in much larger projection setups for planetarium-style videos. A bespoke “Domemaster” view was developed as an Away3D extension, to achieve the necessary wrap-around visual experience.

The game is controlled through a series of sensory input coming from the chair, including a state of the art biofeedback sensor attached to the user’s hand. Inputs from heart rate, breathing and skin conductance are used to control the progression through a fantasy starscape, searching for a specified planet type. Score is determined by how quickly the user can locate each planet requested by the game.

In addition, wind, heat and sound emitters built into the chair react to passing star and space debris, further heightening the experience.